Current work in wildlife, rivers, public lands, and climate

Denver—As new research revealed this week that Colorado is wildly off track to meet statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals, advocates from more than 50 organizations tomorrow plan to call on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission to make aggressive and expeditious climate action a top priority.

The Colorado Air Commission will meet to discuss the state’s path toward meeting climate goals set by HB 19-1261, which was signed into law last year. The law sets goals of reducing statewide greenhouse gas emissions 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2050.

Unfortunately, a report released yesterday shows that Colorado is off course to meet statewide climate goals by a wide margin, threatening the health and safety of millions of residents.

An unprecedented coalition of nonprofit organizations will file a joint letter with the Air Commission demanding that the Polis Administration take aggressive steps ensure effective greenhouse gas emission reductions. The groups will gather for a press conference ahead of the hearing to announce the letter and call for action commensurate with the climate crisis and in line with state law.

What: “Mind the Emissions Gap” press conference and testimony at Air Quality Control Commission hearing

When: Thursday, Feb. 20, 8:30 a.m. press conference; 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Commission hearing

Where: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 4300 Cherry Creek S Dr, Denver, CO 80246

Who: Representatives of dozens of organizations and impacted community members will speak at the press conference and then deliver their joint letter and give passionate testimony to the Commission.

Visuals: Visuals will include people in “Out Of Time” clock costumes and people holding clocks, signs and banners.

Why: Last year by passing HB 19-1261, Colorado committed to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions at least 26% from 2005 levels by 2025, 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2050—goals near to those recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC’s) advisory to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The AQCC is required to propose rules to meet these targets by July 1, 2020. Taking into account current climate policies on the books, the state has 30 million metric tons of carbon emissions reductions to go to hit its required 2025 target and 46 million metric tons to go to hit the 2030 target (for reference, the Air Quality Control Commission’s recently-passed low and zero emissions vehicle standards will achieve an estimated 2.7 million metric tons of reductions). Even with high-ambition assumptions for a number of future strategies, including retiring every coal plant in Colorado and replacing it with 100% renewable energy by 2030, Colorado would still have a gap of 25 million metric tons.